SADC Urges Zimbabwean Parties To Approach Courts Over Election Results Grievances

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) election observer mission (SEOM) has urged aggrieved parties to approach courts to resolve disputes from the August 2023 elections.

In its final report on Zimbabwe’s August elections released on Thursday 12 October 2023, the bloc said:

The SEOM calls for all concerned parties to ensure that any grievances with respect to the election results are channelled through the appropriate legal processes to ensure exhaustation of domestic legal remedies.

In terms of Section 11.8.2 of the Sadc guidelines, when SEOM publishes and officially submits the election reports, member States which held the elections may consider the recommendations advanced by the SEOM for improving the conduct of elections and submit to the chair of the organ, a response to the SEOM report.

Zanu PF accused Nevers Mumba, the head of the Sadc Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM), of being biased and sympathetic towards the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC). This accusation came after an initial report by SEOM criticised the elections for lacking credibility and fairness. However, the final report from Sadc observers praised political parties for maintaining peace despite the disputed nature of the election. Read the report:

The SEOM noted that …  some aspects of the Harmonised Elections fell short of the requirements of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, the Electoral Act, and the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections (2021).

The SEOM commends political leaders for spreading the messages of peace and non-violence throughout the electoral cycle.

The recommendation is a blow to the CCC, which has been advocating for fresh elections overseen by an impartial organisation such as SADC, the African Union, or the United Nations, instead of the perceived biased Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC). The party points to irregularities observed by local and international observers as the reason for calling for fresh elections. The CCC contends that ZANU PF, in collaboration with ZEC, manipulated the results, particularly in the presidential election, to favour President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

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